Jan 29 2025

Virginia House of Delegates Approves Bill to Allow Modified Sentences for Marijuana Offenses

The Virginia House of Delegates has approved House Bill 2555, a bipartisan measure that would allow sentence modifications for individuals convicted of certain marijuana-related felonies before the state legalized the substance.

Filed on January 11 by a bipartisan group of seven lawmakers, HB 2555 establishes a process for individuals still incarcerated or under community supervision for felony marijuana offenses committed before July 1, 2021, to receive an automatic hearing to reconsider their sentences. The bill passed the House Courts of Justice Committee last week with a 14-8 vote before advancing to the full House, where it was approved today.

Under the bill, Virginia circuit courts must schedule hearings by January 1, 2026, for individuals who qualify. Judges will be required to reduce, vacate, or modify sentences—potentially leading to time served—unless prosecutors prove that doing so would not be in the public interest. Those eligible for sentence modification will also have access to legal counsel if they were previously deemed indigent.
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Jan 29 2025

National Institute of Health Study Finds Medical Marijuana More Effective Than Prescription Medications for Chronic Pain

A study being published in the upcoming issue of the journal Pain, and published online ahead of print by the National Library of Medicine, has found that medical marijuana may be more effective than prescription medications in treating chronic pain.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute, analyzed 440 patients certified for medical marijuana by pain specialists within a single healthcare system, using patient-reported outcomes stored in the University of Pittsburgh Patient Outcomes Repository for Treatment (PORT). At the three-month mark, 38.6% of medical marijuana patients reported clinically significant improvements in pain, function, or overall well-being, with these benefits sustained at six months.

Among the 157 medical marijuana patients who also used opioids, opioid consumption decreased by an average of 39.3% over six months. For comparison, the study examined 8,114 patients from the same clinics who were treated with prescription pain medications, including both opioid and non-opioid options. In this group, 34.9% reported meaningful improvements at three months.
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Jan 29 2025

Tennessee Senator Files Medical Marijuana Bill With Broad List of Qualifying Conditions

State Senator Janice Bowling (R) filed Senate Bill 489 today, legislation that would establish a regulated medical marijuana program in Tennessee, making them the 40th medical marijuana state.

The Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act outlines a framework for cultivation, production, distribution, and patient access to medical marijuana, while also supporting agricultural development and research into the benefits of THC.

The bill highlights that dozens of states, including Tennessee’s neighbors Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Virginia, have already legalized medical marijuana, noting that studies have linked medical marijuana programs to reductions in opioid overdoses. The proposal would create a Tennessee Medical Cannabis Program Commission to oversee the system, including the licensing of cultivation, processing, and dispensary operations.
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Jan 29 2025

Colorado Issues Marijuana Recall Covering Products Sold at Nearly 60 Stores

The Colorado Department of Revenue (DOR), in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), has issued a Health and Safety Advisory and recall due to the identification of contaminated marijuana flower produced and sold by Medpharm Holdings, LLC, d.b.a. Bud & Mary’s Cannabis.

(Photo credit: KTTN Radio).

The CDPHE and DOR deem it a threat to public health and safety when marijuana is found to have Total Yeast and Mold above the acceptable limits established in Colorado Marijuana Rule 4-215. This advisory includes Harvest Batches tested and found to have exceeded acceptable limits established for Total Yeast and Mold.

Medpharm Holdings, LLC collaborated with the Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) to initiate a voluntary recall for the affected Harvest Batches, according to the public advisory. The affected product is listed below (by license number and Harvest Batch) and was sold between February 7, 2024, and December 20, 2024. The locations that sold the affected product are also included below.
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Jan 29 2025

New Hampshire House Bill to Legalize Psilocybin Set for Public Hearing on February 6

A bill that would legalize the possession and use of psilocybin for those 21 and older in New Hampshire is set for a public hearing on February 6 at 3:30 p.m.

The hearing will take place before the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee in Legislative Office Building 202-204.

Filed by State Representative Kevin Verville (R), House Bill 528 states that individuals 21 and older would not face penalties for obtaining, purchasing, transporting, possessing, or using psilocybin. However, those under 21 who engage in these activities would be subject to penalties outlined in RSA 318-B:26.
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Jan 29 2025

Ohio Senate Republicans Renew Push to Scale Back Voter-Approved Marijuana Law

Senate Republicans in Ohio held a hearing today on legislation to roll back key provisions of the state’s voter-approved recreational marijuana program, proposing cuts to home grow limits, increased taxes, reduced potency levels, and shifting revenue away from social equity programs.

“It’s not to do away with the ballot initiative,” said State Senator Steve Huffman, a Tipp City Republican. “It’s to work around the edges to make it better.”

State Senator Casey Weinstein (D) says that although many in his party do support marketing restrictions to protect children and for “sensible limitations” on public marijuana use, but they oppose cutting home grow limits and imposing restrictions on where people can smoke on their own property.
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Jan 29 2025

RFK Jr. Asked Zero Marijuana-Related Questions During Confirmation Hearing

During his confirmation hearing today for Health and Human Services secretary, RFK Jr. received not a single question related to marijuana or psychedelics, despite his long-held support for both.

During the hearing, RFK Jr. was asked numerous times about vaccines, abortions, rural hospitals and more, but none of the senators questioning him asked him to clarify the approach he’ll take to marijuana and psychedelics.

RFK Jr. has been a vocal advocate for marijuana reform, including endorsing legalization and removing marijuana as a Schedule I drug.
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Jan 29 2025

Study: CBD May Protect Against Chemotherapy-Induced Heart Damage

A new study published in Drug Design, Development and Therapy suggests that cannabidiol (CBD) may help protect the heart from damage caused by the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin (DOX) by activating the Hippo signaling pathway.

DOX is widely used to treat cancer but is known for its cardiotoxic effects. While previous research has indicated that CBD may have cardioprotective properties, the mechanisms behind this effect have remained unclear. To investigate, researchers analyzed gene expression data from healthy and DOX-injured myocardial tissues, identifying the Hippo pathway as a key player in DOX-induced heart damage. Molecular docking suggested that CBD interacts with multiple regulators of this pathway.

The team conducted both in vitro and in vivo experiments using H9c2 cardiomyocytes and C57BL/6 mice. Results showed that CBD improved cell viability, reduced oxidative stress, and decreased apoptosis in DOX-exposed heart cells. In mice, CBD mitigated DOX-induced myocardial injury, as confirmed by histological and immunofluorescence analyses. However, when the Hippo pathway was inactivated—either by YAP knockdown or treatment with verteporfin—the cardioprotective effects of CBD were reversed.
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Jan 29 2025

U.S. Marijuana Reform: A Breakdown of State Efforts to Legalize and Decriminalize Marijuana

By Marijuana Policy Project

Because less than half of U.S. states allow citizen-initiated ballot measures, in most states, the only way to reform cannabis laws is via the state’s legislature.

Polls show over two-thirds of Americans support making cannabis use legal and around 90% support allowing medical cannabis, but lawmakers lag behind the public.

Only 24 states have legalized cannabis for adults. Eleven states are even further behind the times — lacking even a medical cannabis law. And 19 states continue to jail their residents for even simple possession of cannabis.

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Jan 28 2025

Hawaii Committee Unanimously Approves Bill to Protect Medical Marijuana Patients From Workplace Discrimination

A legislative committee in Hawaii has voted unanimously to advance legislation to prohibit the workplace discrimination of medical marijuana patients.

The House Labor and Public Employment Committee voted 6 to 0 today to approve House Bill 325, filed on January 16 by eight lawmakers.

The proposed law would explicitly protect registered medical marijuana patients from workplace discrimination while upholding safety standards for certain professions. Employers would be barred from taking adverse actions, such as termination or refusal to hire, based solely on an individual’s status as a registered medical marijuana patient or a positive test for marijuana metabolites, as long as the individual is not impaired during work hours.
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